Victory Market Siege
The Victory Market Siege, also known as the Battle of Victory Market, was a major battle fought in the aftermath of the supernuclear destruction of Solomon. The United Forces successfully liberated the district of Victory and its historic market and fort from the Heartland invaders, who had been defending the stronghold. Georgraphy Victory is one of the oldest areas of the city of Solomon, dating back to before the United Alliance, the forerunner to the Republic. Built by an unknown civilisation that capitulated to the United Forces during their expansion west, Victory was developed by the Republic into a district of the capital of Solomon, situated on the Southern side of the city near the Solomon Mountain range. Victory has been a place of commerce since ancient times; although significantly less developed than other areas of Solomon, with few buildings higher than three stories, the area is heavily populated by people who trade and work in or around the historic market. The market itself is a maze of twisting alleys and open courtyards, and is surrounded by old buildings both residential and communal. The Market Gardens, overlooked by the "Iris Arch" monument is located in centre of the district, connected to the market, and is picturesque and a place of great historical value to the Republic People. The ruins of the old Victory Fort can also been seen in this area. Only a few roads are wide enough to allow the passing of vehicles. Destruction On the 21st of October ERA 10-20, Victory was in the process of evacuation. Due to its location, the area was threatened by the advancing armies of Heartland who were moving to take the city (see Operation Dusk's End). During the initial phases of the evacuation, the Sunrise Device was activated, and Victory and its population were caught in the blast. Many of the buildings were heavily damaged, with some being razed to the ground. Of the nearly 200,000 people in the area at the time, over half died in the fireball that followed instantly after the explosion. As the supernuclear winds were directed down the tiny alleys, many citizens received fatal does of Gamma Radiation in an instant, killing them where they stood. Many others not sufficiently protected were hit with the shockwave, or struck by the intense Microwave burst that instantly dehydrated the bodies of those effected, essentially cooking them alive. As most of the buildings were not very tall, few collapsed during the shockwave, but the area was devastated. The few roads in the area were carved apart, and parts of the historic market complex were damaged. Despite the destruction, most of the structures in Victory survived. Although most of the military personnel aiding in the evacuation perished in the blast or the immediate aftermath, the main force tasked with defending the district was hundreds of miles away. Called from bases in Southern Norta, the 16th and 17th Mixed Command Divisions were held up by Heartland bombing raids, and survived the destruction of the city. Witnessing the devastation from a distance, the forces halted some 40 miles from the city in the Solomon Mountains, and waited for further orders. Little did they know that the electromagnetic interference produced by the Sunrise Device's detonation had destroyed their radio equipment, cutting their connection to United Force's command. Battle The Heartland Ground forces reponsible for taking Victory during Operation Dusk's End were the 19th Colstrum Gvardia. Originally equipped with Armoured Cars and Infantry, they were caught in the blast while fighting outside Solomon. Suffering losses, the disorganised troops used their surving vehicles to drive into the city sought shelter in the devastated district of Victory. Over the next few days, they fortified the market and searched the nearby buildings for supplies, all the while attempting to contact friendly forces. Throughout the week, they heard battles being fought in the city, but did not abandon their positions. By the 29th October, the entire district was fortified, with sheltered areas of the market serving as a makeshift hospital for the sick or wounded troops. Some surviving civilians were found during the week, and were at forced away from the area, as they could not take prisoners due to ration supplies, and could not execute them due to lack of plentiful ammunition. There were sporadic fighting between the Gvardia and isolated Republic Units, but their defences held solid. By the 1st of November, the 16th Mixed Command Division that were waiting outside of the city had given up on trying to contact command, and instead, a small force advanced into Victory with the hopes of finding surviors from the United Forces. They were met with heavy resistance from the entrenched Gvardia, and most of the unit's heavy armour was destroyed on the first day of fighting. The UF troops retreated on the 3rd of Novemeber, but could not find the remainder of the 16th Division. With no other options, they reorganised for street fighting. They heavily outnumbered the Gvardia Troops, and on the morning of the 4th of November, they launched an all out assault to capture the Market. Infantry combat followed, with heavy house to house fighting wearing down both sides. The assault carried on until the 5th, where by which time, the Heartland troops had fallen back to the Market and the West side of the district. Close quarters fighting continued for several days, but the worn out Heartland troops were eventually beaten back. The market was liberated in the morning of the 6th of October, and the UF Troops, despite the mounting losses, managed to sieze the sector, with the Heartland Gvardia falling back into the city. Despite their victory in Victory, the small segment of the 16th Division advanced no further. With many of their troops dead, many more wounded, and most of them sick with radiation poisoning, they instead followed in the stead of the enemies and occupied the district, scavenging for food to maintain themselves. Throughout the passing months, the group united with other lost troops, and fought small skirmishes with pockets of Heartland resistance. In the spring of ERA 10-21, they finally left Victory Market, and headed out into the Solomon Mountain Range in the hopes of finding food and reuniting with their commanders. As for the rest of the 16th Division, their fate is unknown. Some claim to have seen them fighting in various battles within the city, while others believe they retreated to the countryside. In ERA 10-24, a covert UF expedition of nuclear-protected troops ventured into the centre of the destroyed city of Solomon. One of their discoveries was a mass grave of UF troops in the basement of a townhouse close to the crater created by the Sunrise Device. On the bodies of the troops were identification tags that showed them to be soldiers of the 16th Mixed Command Division. Some theorise that like the soldiers that fought at Victory Market, these troops were from a segment of the division that entered the area looking for survivors, or maybe searching for the remainder of their unit. It appears that they managed to make it far into the vast city, but their final resting place suggests that they were massacred and buried by an unknown force. Category:Premier Timeline